


ice cream

by homeformyheart_jen



Series: 28 Dates with Unit Bravo (February 2021) [3]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29183025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homeformyheart_jen/pseuds/homeformyheart_jen
Summary: to ria’s surprise, mason insists their outing counts as a date. for day 3 (date) of the #28 dates with unit bravo challenge.
Relationships: Female Detective/Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles)
Series: 28 Dates with Unit Bravo (February 2021) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2142516
Kudos: 8
Collections: 28 Dates with Unit Bravo (February 2021)





	ice cream

**Author's Note:**

> author’s note: inching toward relationship mason fluff, enjoy!  
> copyright: all characters, except my oc detective, are owned by mishka jenkins @seraphinitegames.  
> series/pairing: the wayhaven chronicles – mason x f!detective (ria knight)  
> rating/warnings: 14+; swearing  
> word count: 1.2k  
> based on/prompt: day 3 – date from #28dateswithunitbravo challenge by @wayhavenmonthly

_**ice cream** _

ria wrapped her scarf around her neck twice before stepping out of the station, bracing herself for the cold winter chill that had settled on wayhaven like a fog that refused to leave. mason had taken to picking her up when her shift was over, initially under the guise that it was part of their increased patrols of the town, but after a few weeks of it, they fell into a rhythm and didn’t even notice that she stopped teasing him and he stopped insisting it was only because of adam’s orders.

it was days like this though that she felt bad he still insisted on walking her home, his teeth chattering as he waited for her and skin icy to the touch no matter how many layers he had on. she wasn’t sure exactly why he did it since it wouldn’t be unreasonable for the team to take turns and help alleviate mason’s exposure to extreme weather, but he insisted in his own quiet, but firm way and shut down any attempted discussion.

not that she was complaining, of course. she enjoyed spending time with him, comforting was not a word she thought she’d ever use to describe mason, but that’s what it was. there was something oddly comforting about his presence. and she never expected to be this kind of comfortable with someone, especially after the disaster that was her relationship with bobby marks.

the walk to the square was brisk. as much as she enjoyed winter, she didn’t want to risk frostbite in the below freezing weather, and she was sure mason felt similarly, even if he refused to admit it.

“how are you doing?”

although typically a normal question to ask, it still caught ria by surprise when mason showed genuine interest in her life and wellbeing. of course, some of that was to be expected given the increase in trapper activity lately around the town. they had been frustratingly and worryingly busy because of it all.

“i’m hanging in there, all things considered,” she replied honestly. the look on mason’s face told her he didn’t quite believe her, but she didn’t want to think about it any longer.

that self-defense tactic served her very well throughout her life and she wasn’t going to stop now. she looked up for some sort of distraction and realized they were coming up on her favorite ice cream parlor.

“let’s stop here for a sec. i’m going to get some ice cream,” she said, grabbing mason’s arm and tugging him into the little corner shop.

“it’s fucking freezing and you want ice cream?” he asked, his face pinched in disgust.

ria just laughed and ordered at the counter. “it’s weird, i know. but sometimes people want a cold dessert while it’s cold out.”

“i really don’t understand humans,” he muttered under his breath as she moved to the cashier.

she shrugged and pulled out her wallet but froze when mason put his hand on hers and gave the cashier a crisp bill from his pocket instead.

“what are you doing?” she asked as she put her wallet back and grabbed her ice cream from the clerk.

“you were moving too slow, that’s all,” he said as he turned to walk quickly towards the door, but his voice was missing its typical snark.

maybe he really was warming up to her, she mused inwardly, a smile creeping on her face as she joined him outside, the sun just starting to dip towards the tree line, softening the air around the square.

mason’s shoulders hunched forward even further, and ria could hear his teeth chattering.

“i really don’t know why you’re subjecting yourself to this. you really should have one of the other guys escort me home when it’s really cold,” she said, her voice only slightly laced with annoyance as she handed him her ice cream cone. “hold this.”

he held his arm out to the side to make sure the ice cream didn’t get on either of them as she unwrapped her scarf from her neck and looped it around mason’s, doubling the layer so the warm fabric sat high enough on top of his existing scarf to cover his chin.

he stared at her incredulously as she placed her earmuffs around him as well, his eyes swirling with a softness she hadn’t seen before. he looked amazed as though the idea that someone might care enough about his well-being to sacrifice theirs a little had never occurred to him as a possibility. his grey eyes swirled with vulnerability and ria avoided looking right at him given the intensity she found there threatened to overwhelm her.

“how’s that?” she asked, stepping away to admire her handiwork and simultaneously grabbing her ice cream back from him.

“warm,” was all he said as he slung an arm back over her shoulders and led her toward a bench in the square.

luckily the bench was dry and clear of snow, although that didn’t help the cold from seeping through her jeans. mason kept his arm slung around her shoulders but stuffed his other hand deep in his pants pocket. ria could tell he was still shivering, but it didn’t seem as violent as it had when she first saw him outside the station.

“ria!” she looked up to see tina excitedly running towards them, her too-long scarf flapping in the wind behind her.

“hey tina,” ria said quietly, knowing that tina’s boisterous personality had a tendency to rub mason the wrong way.

“look at you two, cozying up on a date,” tina teased.

the cold ice cream caught in ria’s throat and she coughed. “this is not a date. i told you we’re not dating,” she insisted, making an effort to avoid looking at mason.

tina looked back and forth between them. “i don’t know, you’re spending time alone together, i assume he bought you the ice cream since he’s not eating anything himself. sounds like a date to me,” she said in a singsong voice that had ria cringing internally.

“what qualifies as a date to you?” mason asked before ria could respond, with genuine curiosity in his voice, something ria hadn’t really noticed from him before.

tina looked as though she was just told she won a big prize. “well, a date is when two people who like each other romantically do something together. one person usually plans an outing and pays for things like dinner or a movie. especially if the relationship is still new,” tina explained, putting too much emphasis on the word “new.”

ria rolled her eyes. “it’s kind of stupid for one person to be expected to pay for things and besides, mason and i both agree that dating is overrated.”

mason’s arm tensed around her shoulders and she looked at him quizzically. “the bobblehead is right,” he interjected quickly.

tina laughed, “what did you call me?”

“sorry, tina. mason has a nickname for everyone,” she said, giving him a pointed look. “although you’re supposed to keep those to yourself.”

he chose to ignore her and continued his original train of thought. “i’m saying she’s right. we’re spending time together and i bought you that ice cream. this counts as a date.”

now it’s her turn to stare at him incredulously. he looked away at her scrutinizing gaze even as his arm around her shoulder tightened and pulled her closer.

ria’s lips quirked up into a small smile before she schooled her features, sharing a quick, knowing glance with tina who gave her a wink before walking away **.**

**Author's Note:**

> i appreciate any comments you may have - to find this on tumblr, feel free to check out my writing/art reblogs @homeformyheart.


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